It is fairly common practice for fishermen to wear gloves to protect their hands, and also to improve their ability to hold the fish that they catch while the hook is being removed, during cleaning, etc. Gloves however can be quite inconvenient and uncomfortable, and they may not provide desired levels of protection and grip-enhancement; they also tend to wear out rather quickly.
The need for other means for improving the ability to handle fish has previously been recognized in the art. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,389,491 Lowrey discloses a device for holding a fish which consists of a one-piece sheet of resilient, flexible material formed into an oval channel and having bendable sections; while still on the line, the fish is inserted into the channel and is held in place by the application of finger pressure, to bend the flexible sections inwardly upon it. Mechanical devices for the same general purpose have been described by Zupancic in U.S. Pat. No. 2,643,151, and by Maruniak in U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,605.
Despite the foregoing, a demand remains for a hand-held device for assisting a fisherman in securely holding a live fish, while protecting his hand against injury, which is of simple and inexpensive construction and is yet highly effective and convenient to use. It is of course also desirable that any such device not cause injury to the fish, such as might result from the use of devices with which mechanical advantage may be generated.
Accordingly, it is the broad object of the present invention to provide a novel device for enhancing the grip upon a fish, while protecting the user against injury.
It is a more specific object of the invention to provide such a device which can be used with either hand, and for gently and yet securely grasping fish of a wide range of sizes.
Additional objects of the invention are to provide a device having the foregoing features and advantages which is, in addition, relatively inexpensive and facile to manufacture, durable, and highly convenient and comfortable to use.